Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to shoes and, more particularly, to shoes with collapsible heels.
Description of the Background Art
A variety of different types of shoes have been designed to suit the different lifestyles and activities of people. Such shoes include flip-flops, sandals, mules, slides, clogs, athletic shoes, dress and casual shoes, boots, and even specialty shoes like soccer shoes, bicycling shoes, and dance shoes. Slip-on shoes such as clogs, mules and flip-flops are designed to be slipped on and off with ease and are particularly popular because they permit easy entry into the shoe without the need to widen a foot opening at the top of the shoe and because they generally do not have a heel portion which may require the use of a shoe horn. Shoes for active use generally include a secure closure mechanism such as laces, straps, etc. along the top of the shoe and are used to secure a user's foot against the heel of the shoe so that the shoe does not slip off the foot during the chosen activity. For example, laces or straps extend across the foot opening and can be tightened by the user to secure the foot within the shoe. Slip-on footwear is generally not suitable for active use because such closure mechanisms and heels are absent.
The elderly and handicapped often have difficulty donning and/or doffing shoes. While slip-on shoes such as clogs, mules and flip-flops can be relatively easy for the elderly and handicapped to don and doff, these types of shoes can be dangerous for the elderly and handicapped because they lack heels and thus tend to more easily fall off of the user's foot creating a tripping hazard. Shoes having a heel can be particularly difficult for the elderly and handicapped to don or doff, often requiring the use of a shoe horn or the like. The elderly and handicapped often need assistance donning and doffing their shoes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,110 discloses a shoe adapted for use by a handicapped person. The shoe has a relatively complex mechanism including arms and a yoke covered with flexible material forming the outer heel of the shoe. The arms and yoke are biased by a spring mechanism so that material forming the outer heel is normally extended in a heel embracing position. The shoe also includes a treadle in the base of the shoe below the user's heel. The treadle is biased by another spring in an upward direction. The treadle includes toothed members that engage lugs provided on the arms. Pressing down on the arms collapses the outer heel. When the user lifts their heel off of the treadle, the toothed members engage the lugs so that the outer heel is maintained in the down position. In this position, the user can insert their foot into the shoe. When the user lowers their heel and presses on the treadle, the toothed members disengage from the lugs and the outer heel springs up to the heel embracing position. While the disclosed mechanism may allow the shoe to be used by the handicapped, the complex mechanism is subject to failure. In addition, the mechanism requires a certain degree of coordination by the user since the outer heel must be pressed and held down while at the same time the user's heel is lifted from the treadle so that the toothed members surely engage the lugs to hold the outer heel in the down position. Furthermore, since the outer heel springs up to the heel embracing position, the outer heel can hit the user's heel with some force, possibly injuring the user.
Accordingly, what is needed is a shoe having a heel and which may be easily and securely donned and doffed by the user with minimum effort. The shoe should have a relatively simple mechanism for moving the outer heel into the lower position where the user can easily insert their foot into the shoe and for gently moving the outer heel into the raised heel embracing position.